Carnival Freedom delays not due to sequestration

Port Everglades and CBP officials say other factors at play

April 1, 2013|By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel

Cruise passengers returning to Port Everglades on Sunday aboard Carnival Freedom experienced long delays to clear customs and security, immediately leading some to point a finger at federal budget cuts called sequestration.

In a statement Monday, port officials acknowledged the lengthy delay for Freedom guests but said the incident was "isolated and outside the norm of current debarkation time frames," and not really due to sequestration.

"At Port Everglades, sequestration has created minor delays that are averaging less than one hour as cruise passengers re-enter the United States," said port officials.

On Saturday, the Fort Lauderdale port will have eight cruise ships in port at the same time, but officials said they're not expecting any out-of-the-norm delays.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami reiterated Monday that the processing delays experienced by Freedom guests weren't due to sequestration, but to a change in status of the ship, which required extra measures to be put in place.

That change could have meant Carnival Freedom had picked up passengers from another port who had not departed Port Everglades or had changed its original itinerary, according to the CBP spokesperson.

In its response Sunday, Carnival Cruise Lines said in a statement: "The Customs and Immigration process for debarking guests has taken quite a bit longer than normal. We do not anticipate any impact to the ship's itinerary for the next voyage, which will depart later today. We regret the inconvenience our guests have experienced during today's debark and clearance process."

Warren Redlich, who lives west of Boca Raton, got off the ship at 3 p.m. Sunday and figured it was about a four-hour delay based on comments from seasoned cruisers who'd said he should have been off by 11 a.m.

"I wasn't as put out as others, said Redlich on Monday, noting that he and his family enjoyed a free lunch and more time at the pool while waiting to disembark.

When he finally arrived at customs, Redlich said port staff and a sheriff's deputy told him processing of Freedom passengers had started earlier in the day with three CBP agents, who were "checking and searching every bag," as if looking for something specific.

But when he was processed, there were 12 to 14 agents, one of whom looked at his passport for less than a minute and said: "Have a nice day."